Cooking appliance meal cook cycle

ABSTRACT

A cooking appliance includes a cooking cavity, and a plurality of heater modules. A turntable and an upper pan are rotatably mounted in the cooking cavity. The turntable and the upper pan are configured for positioning a plurality of food items thereon in a predetermined food arrangement. The plurality of food items collectively make up a meal. The cooking appliance is operable for, and related methods may include, rotating the turntable and the upper pan within the cooking chamber and activating at least one of the plurality of heater modules while the turntable and the upper pan are rotating within the cooking cavity, such that differing amounts of energy are provided to each food item of the plurality of food items based on a spatial location of each food item in the predetermined food arrangement on the turntable and the upper pan during a meal cook cycle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter of the present disclosure relates generally tocooking appliances, and more particularly to cooking appliances operableto cook an entire meal in a single cycle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A full meal or entire meal typically includes diverse types of food withdiverse cooking requirements. The optimal or preferred cookingconditions or operations for each type of food may include differentcooking times, different temperatures or other parameters, and evendifferent energy sources. For example, an entire meal may include ameat, a starch, e.g., potatoes, and vegetables. One type of food, e.g.,the vegetables and/or potatoes, may be optimally prepared usingmicrowave energy, while another, e.g., the meat, may be optimallyprepared using radiant and/or convective heat energy. Additionally, evenwhen foods use the same energy source, the exposure time may vary, forexample, the vegetables and potatoes may both be cooked with microwaveenergy, but the vegetables may require much less time. Further, somefoods may require multiple energy sources for optimal preparation, suchas potatoes may be most efficiently prepared by first exposing them tomicrowave energy to hasten the initial cooking process, then exposingthem to radiant heat energy to complete the cooking process.

Thus, cooking an entire meal typically requires the use of multipleappliances and/or multiple operations with the same appliance. Referringagain to the foregoing example meal, the potatoes may be started in amicrowave appliance and then moved to an oven appliance, while the meatmay be cooked on a cooktop appliance and/or in the oven appliance, andthe vegetables may be prepared in the microwave appliance separatelyfrom the potatoes. Such complex operations requiring separate butsimultaneous and/or overlapping operations in different appliancesand/or multiple distinct operations of the same appliance increase thetime and difficulty in preparing an entire meal.

Accordingly, a cooking appliance and method for operating the same thataddress one or more of the challenges noted above would be desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thefollowing description, or may be apparent from the description, or maybe learned through practice of the invention.

In one exemplary embodiment, a cooking appliance is provided. Thecooking appliance includes a casing defining a cooking cavity. Thecooking appliance also includes a microwave module for deliveringmicrowave energy into the cooking cavity. The cooking appliance furtherincludes an upper heater module having one or more heating elements. Thecooking appliance also includes a lower heater module having one or moreheating elements. In addition, the cooking appliance includes aconvection module having one or more heating elements and a convectionfan operable to move air across the one or more heating elements of theconvection module and into the cooking cavity. A turntable is rotatablymounted in the cooking cavity and an upper pan is mounted above theturntable. The turntable and the upper pan are configured forpositioning a plurality of food items thereon in a predetermined foodarrangement. The plurality of food items collectively make up a meal. Amotor is operatively coupled to the turntable to rotate the turntableand the upper pan within the cooking cavity. The cooking appliance alsoincludes a controller communicatively coupled with the microwave module,the upper heater module, the lower heater module, the convection module,and the motor for selective control thereof. The controller isconfigured to receive an input indicating that the cooking appliance isto operate in a meal cook cycle. The controller is further configured toactivate the motor to rotate the turntable and the upper pan within thecooking cavity and activate at least one of the microwave module, theupper heater module, the lower heater module, and the convection moduleof the cooking appliance while the turntable and the upper pan arerotating within the cooking cavity. As a result, differing amounts ofenergy are provided to each of the plurality of distinct spatiallocations on the turntable and the upper pan during the meal cook cycle.

In another exemplary embodiment, a method of operating a cookingappliance in a meal cook cycle is provided. The method includesreceiving, by a controller of the cooking appliance, an input indicatingthat the cooking appliance is to operate in a meal cook cycle. Themethod then includes providing instructions, via a user interface, forpositioning a plurality of food items in a predetermined foodarrangement on a turntable and an upper pan of the cooking appliance.The plurality of food items collectively make up a meal. The method alsoincludes activating a motor to rotate the turntable and the upper panwithin a cooking cavity defined in a casing of the cooking appliance.The method further includes activating at least one of a microwavemodule for delivering microwave energy into the cooking cavity, an upperheater module having one or more heating elements, a lower heater modulehaving one or more heating elements, and a convection module having oneor more heating elements and a convection fan operable to move airacross the one or more heating elements of the convection module andinto the cooking cavity while the turntable and the upper pan arerotating within the cooking cavity. As a result, during the meal cookcycle, differing amounts of energy are provided to each food item of theplurality of food items based on a spatial location of each food item inthe predetermined food arrangement on the turntable and the upper panduring a meal cook cycle.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendedfigures.

FIG. 1 provides a front view of a cooking appliance according to one ormore example embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2 provides a schematic perspective view of a cooking applianceaccording to one or more example embodiments of the present subjectmatter.

FIG. 3 provides a schematic perspective view of a cooking applianceaccording to one or more additional example embodiments of the presentsubject matter.

FIG. 4 provides a plan view of cooking utensils usable in a cookingappliance according to one or more example embodiments of the presentsubject matter.

FIG. 5 provides a perspective view of the cooking utensils of FIG. 4positioned within the cooking cavity of a cooking appliance according toone or more example embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 6 provides a view of a plurality of food items arranged in multipledistinct spatial locations within the cooking appliance according to oneor more example embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 7 provides a view of a plurality of food items arranged in multipledistinct spatial locations within the cooking appliance according to oneor more additional example embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 8 provides a view of a plurality of food items arranged in multipledistinct spatial locations within the cooking appliance according to oneor more additional example embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 9 provides a schematic perspective view of a cooking applianceaccording to one or more additional example embodiments of the presentsubject matter.

FIG. 10 provides a schematic perspective view of a cooking applianceaccording to one or more additional example embodiments of the presentsubject matter.

FIG. 11 provides a schematic top down view of components of a cookingappliance according to one or more additional example embodiments of thepresent subject matter.

FIG. 12 provides a schematic illustration of an exemplary cookingappliance in a first angular position according to one or moreadditional example embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 13 provides a schematic illustration of the exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 12 in a second angular position.

FIG. 14 provides a schematic illustration of the exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 12 in a third angular position.

FIG. 15 provides a schematic illustration of the exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 12 in a fourth angular position.

FIG. 16 provides a schematic illustration of the exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 12 in a fifth angular position.

FIG. 17 provides a side schematic sectional view of exemplary componentsof a cooking appliance according to one or more example embodiments ofthe present subject matter.

FIG. 18 provides a side schematic sectional view of an exemplary rackfor a cooking appliance according to one or more example embodiments ofthe present subject matter.

FIG. 19 provides a top-down overhead view of the exemplary rack of FIG.18 .

FIG. 20 provides a top-down overhead view of an exemplary turntableand/or lower cooking pan according to one or more example embodiments ofthe present subject matter.

FIG. 21 provides a schematic illustration of an exemplary cookingappliance in a home position according to one or more additional exampleembodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 22 provides a schematic illustration of an exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 21 in a back position.

FIG. 23 provides a schematic illustration of an exemplary cookingappliance in a first angular position according to one or moreadditional example embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 24 provides a schematic illustration of the exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 23 in a second angular position.

FIG. 25 provides a schematic illustration of the exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 23 in a third angular position.

FIG. 26 provides a schematic illustration of the exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 23 in a fourth angular position.

FIG. 27 provides a schematic illustration of an exemplary cookingappliance at a first end of a range of oscillatory motion according toone or more example embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 28 provides a schematic illustration of the exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 27 at a second end of the range of oscillatory motion.

FIG. 29 provides a schematic illustration of an exemplary cookingappliance at a first end of a range of oscillatory motion according toone or more example embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 30 provides a schematic illustration of the exemplary cookingappliance of FIG. 29 at a second end of the range of oscillatory motion.

FIG. 31 provides a diagrammatic illustration of exemplary components ofa cooking appliance according to one or more example embodiments of thepresent subject matter.

FIG. 32 provides a flow chart diagram illustrating a method of operatinga cooking appliance according to one or more example embodiments of thepresent subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, notlimitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madein the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as partof one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioncovers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents. As used herein, terms ofapproximation, such as “approximately,” “substantially,” or “about,”refer to being within a ten percent (10%) margin of error of the statedvalue. Moreover, as used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and“third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component fromanother and are not intended to signify location or importance of theindividual components.

FIG. 1 provides a front view of a cooking appliance 100 according to anexample embodiment of the present subject matter. Cooking appliance 100may, in some example embodiments, be an “over-the-range” oven. In otherexample embodiments, the cooking appliance 100 may be a countertop oven,a wall oven, or may be provided in various other oven configurations aswill be recognized by those of skill in the art.

Cooking appliance 100 includes a housing or casing 102 that defines acooking cavity 128. Food items can be received within cooking cavity128. A door 108 is rotatably mounted to casing 102 and is movablebetween an open position and a closed position (shown in FIG. 1 ) toprovide selective access to cooking cavity 128. A window 114 in door 108is provided for viewing food items in the cooking cavity 128, and ahandle 116 is secured to door 108. Handle 116 can be formed of plastic,for example, and can be injection molded.

As may be seen, e.g., in FIGS. 1 through 3 , the cooking appliance 100may define a vertical direction V, a lateral direction L, and atransverse direction T. The vertical direction V, the lateral directionL, and the transverse direction T may be mutually perpendicular. Inparticular, the cooking appliance 100 may extend between a top and abottom along the vertical direction, between a left side and a rightside along the lateral direction L, and between a front and a back alongthe transverse direction T. For example, “front,” “back,” “left,” and“right” may be defined from the perspective of a user standing in frontof the cooking appliance 100 to access the cooking cavity 128 therein,e.g., via the door 108.

Cooking appliance 100 also includes a control panel frame 106. A controlpanel 118 is mounted within control panel frame 106. Control panel 118includes a display device 120 for presenting various information to auser. Control panel 118 also includes one or more input devices. Forthis embodiment, the input devices of control panel 118 include a knobor dial 122 and tactile control buttons 124. Selections are made byrotating dial 122 clockwise or counter-clockwise, and when the desiredselection is displayed, pressing dial 122. For example, many meal cookcycles and other cooking algorithms can be preprogrammed in or loadedonto a memory device of a controller 150 of cooking appliance 100 formany different food items types (e.g., pizza, fried chicken, Frenchfries, potatoes, etc.), including simultaneous preparation of a group offood items of different food types comprising an entire meal.Additionally, new or updated meal cook cycles and/or recipes may bedownloaded to the memory device of the controller 150, such as from aremote database, e.g., a cloud server, via a network communicationsmodule of the controller 150 and stored in the memory device. When auser is cooking a particular food item or group of food items for whichthere is a stored or preprogrammed cooking algorithm or recipe(including cooking algorithms or recipes which are downloaded from theinternet or cloud), the cooking algorithm can be selected by rotatingdial 122 until the selected food name is displayed and then pressingdial 122. Instructions and selections are displayed on display device120. Furthermore, in some embodiments, display device 120 can also beused as an input device. For instance, in such embodiments, displaydevice 120 can be a touchscreen device. In some embodiments, displaydevice 120 is the only input device of control panel 118.

FIG. 2 provides a schematic view of cooking appliance 100 in one or moreexample embodiments and FIG. 3 provides a schematic view of cookingappliance 100 in one or more additional example embodiments. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 , in some example embodiments, casing 102 (FIG. 1 ) ofcooking appliance 100 includes a shell 126. Shell 126 of casing 102delineates the interior volume of cooking cavity 128. The walls of shell126 may be constructed using high reflectivity (e.g., 72% reflectivity)stainless steel. A turntable 130 is located in cooking cavity 128 and isrotatable about an axis of rotation, e.g., for rotating food itemsduring a cooking operation.

Further, cooking appliance 100 includes a microwave module 160, an upperheater module 132, a lower heater module 134, and a convection module140. In the example embodiment of FIG. 2 , the convection module 140 ispositioned above the cooking cavity 128. FIG. 3 schematicallyillustrates an additional example embodiment of the cooking appliance100, where the convection module 140 (including sheath 142 andconvection fan 144) is provided at a back of the cooking cavity 128. Insome embodiments, microwave module 160 is located on a side of cookingcavity 128 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 2 ), while in other exampleembodiments, the microwave module 160 may be located above the cookingcavity 128 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 3 ). The microwave module 160delivers microwave energy into cooking cavity 128. In some embodiments,the microwave module 160 includes a magnetron to provide the microwaveenergy. In other embodiments, the microwave module 160 may also orinstead include a solid-state radio frequency device, e.g., alow-voltage printed circuit board with semiconductors embedded thereinwhich output microwave energy at various frequencies and power outputlevels. Upper heater module 132 can include one or more heatingelements. For instance, upper heating module 132 can include one or morehalogen cooking lamps and/or one or more ceramic heaters. For thedepicted embodiment of FIG. 2 , upper heating module 132 includes aceramic heater 136 and a halogen cooking lamp 138. In some exampleembodiments, upper heater module 132 has at least two halogen lamps 138,139 configured to deliver radiant and thermal energy into the cookingcavity 128, such as in the example embodiment depicted in FIG. 3 .

Convection module 140 includes a sheath heater 142 and a convection fan144. Convection fan 144 is provided for blowing or otherwise moving airover sheath heater 142 of convection module 140 and into cooking cavity128, e.g., for convection cooking. Lower heater module 134 includes atleast one heating element. The heating element of lower heater module134 can be a ceramic heater or a halogen lamp, for example. For theexample embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the heating elementof lower heater module 134 is illustrated as a ceramic heater 146. Invarious embodiments, cooking appliance 100 may be a 240V cookingappliance or a 120V cooking appliance, for example.

The specific heating elements of upper and lower heater modules 132,134, convection module 140, and radio frequency (RF) generation systemof microwave module 160 (e.g., a magnetron or solid state RF generationsystem) can vary from embodiment to embodiment, and the elements andsystems described above are exemplary only. For example, the upperheater module 132 can include any combination of heaters includingcombinations of halogen lamps, ceramic lamps, and/or sheath heaters.Similarly, lower heater module 134 can include any combination ofheaters including combinations of halogen lamps, ceramic lamps, and/orsheath heaters. In addition, the heaters can all be one type of heater.The specific ratings and number of lamps and/or heaters utilized in theupper and lower modules 132, 134 and convection module 140 can vary fromembodiment to embodiment. Generally, the combinations of lamps, heaters,and RF generation system is selected to provide the desired cookingcharacteristics for precision cooking in various modes and/oroperations.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , cooking appliance 100 includes controller150. Controller 150 of cooking appliance 100 can include one or moreprocessor(s) and one or more memory device(s). The processor(s) ofcontroller 150 can be any suitable processing device, such as amicroprocessor, microcontroller, integrated circuit, or other suitableprocessing device. The memory device(s) of controller 150 can includeany suitable computing system or media, including, but not limited to,non-transitory computer-readable media, RAM, ROM, hard drives, flashdrives, or other memory devices. The memory device(s) of controller 150can store information accessible by the processor(s) of controller 150including instructions that can be executed by the processor(s) ofcontroller 150 in order to execute various cooking operations or cycles,e.g., a meal cook cycle. Controller 150 is communicatively coupled withvarious operational components of cooking appliance 100, such ascomponents of microwave module 160, upper heater module 132, lowerheater module 134, convection module 140, and control panel 118,including display device 120, dial 122, the various control buttons 124,etc. Input/output (“I/O”) signals may be routed between controller 150and control panel 118 as well as other operational components of cookingappliance 100. Controller 150 can execute and control cooking appliance100 in various cooking operations or cycles, such as precision cooking,which includes meal cook, microwave, and convection/bake modes.

Cooking appliance 100 can operate in various modes or cycles, and thedescriptions set forth herein are exemplary only. In addition, operationand use of cooking appliance 100 is not limited to a specific order ofsteps. Various steps can be performed in orders different from theexemplary order described below.

In some embodiments, the cooking appliance 100 may be operable in one ormore convection/bake modes. In one example convection/bake mode, a userselects “Convection/Bake” from control panel 118, and then uses dial 122to select a temperature and cook time. Lower ceramic heater 146 andsheath heater 142 are then energized to preheat the air in cookingcavity 128. The food is then placed in cooking cavity 128 and cookingbegins. During the cooking cycle, convection fan 144 circulates air toassure even cooking. Controller 150 can activate convection fan 144(e.g., via one or more command signals) such that convection fan 144moves air over sheath heater 142, and in some embodiments heatingelements of upper heater module 132. In this way, heated air is movedinto cooking cavity 128, e.g., for convection cooking.

Cooking appliance 100 may also operate in one or more microwave modes,for example a microwave only mode, or the microwave module 160 mayoperate in conjunction with one or more various other heating modules inother modes. Generally, for the modes which utilize microwave module160, the user places food in cooking cavity 128 on turntable 130. Theuser then selects “Microwave,” “Express,” or other applicable cookingmode (e.g., a meal cook mode which utilizes the microwave module inconjunction with other heating modules, as described in more detailbelow) from control panel 118. Dial 122 can be utilized to select a foodtype, and once the food type is selected, the user selects “Start” fromcontrol panel 118. The microwave module 160 is then energized inaccordance with the user selections. In some embodiments, the user canselect the desired cook time and power level and then may select “START”to commence the microwave only cooking operation.

In some embodiments, such as the meal cook cycle described in moredetail below, the cooking appliance 100 may operate one or more of theconvection module 140, the lower heating module 134, the upper heatingmodule 132, and the microwave module 160 in various combinations duringa single cycle. For example, some embodiments of the meal cook cycle mayinclude operating two or more of the modules at various times,sequentially and/or simultaneously, during a single meal cook cycle.Such a cycle may be advantageous in order to, for example, optimize theexposure of various food items to the different heat sources and therebyefficiently prepare an entire meal in a single cycle.

As may be seen in FIGS. 4 through 6 and 17 through 19 , in someembodiments the turntable 130 may be a part of a multi-pan tieredcooking utensil set including stackable pans. For example, asillustrated in FIGS. 4 through 6 , the turntable 130 may be a first panor lower pan and a second pan or upper pan 131 may also be provided incombination with the first pan (i.e., turntable) 130. In someembodiments, the upper pan 131 may be mounted directly on top of a rack170 and the rack 170 may be mounted directly on the lower pan 130, e.g.,as illustrated in FIG. 17 . As mentioned above, the turntable 130 may berotatably mounted in the cooking cavity 128. The upper pan 131 may bemounted to the turntable 130, e.g., above the turntable 130, and may becoupled to the turntable 130 such that the upper pan 131 rotates withthe turntable 130 when a motor 148 (FIG. 17 ) of the cooking appliance100 is activated. The motor 148 may be any suitable motor for providingrotational motivating force to the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131.In some exemplary embodiments, the motor 148 may be a stepper motor orany other suitable motor capable of the necessary motion control(velocity, direction, speed, and acceleration), as will be recognized bythose of skill in the art. The structure and function of motors aregenerally understood by those of skill in the art and, as such, are notshown or described in further detail herein for the sake of brevity andclarity. In at least some example embodiments, the turntable 130 and theupper pan 131 may be indexed, e.g., with a poka-yoke connection, toensure that the angular relationship of the turntable 130 and the upperpan 131 to each other and within the cooking cavity 128 is fixed. Alsoby way of example, in at least some embodiments, a position switch orsensor, such as a Hall effect sensor, may be provided in one or both ofthe turntable 130 and the housing 102 such that the angular position ofthe turntable 130 and upper pan 131 may be known, e.g., based on asignal from the position sensor received by the controller 150.

As an example poka-yoke connection, in some embodiments, the turntable130 may be rotatably mounted within the cooking cavity 128 on a rollerring 180 (FIG. 17 ) and may be angularly positioned in a fixed alignmentwithin the cooking cavity 128 as a result of such mounting connection.The roller ring may include a plurality of wheels 182, and each wheel182 of the plurality of wheels 182 may be in contact with a bottomsurface 129 of the cooking cavity 128 and spaced apart from, e.g., notin contact with, the turntable 130. For example, as illustrated in FIG.17 , the turntable 130 may extend between a bottom surface 216 and anopposing top surface 218. The bottom surface 216 of the turntable 130may face the roller ring 180 and be spaced apart from the wheels 182 ofthe roller ring 180. The roller ring 180 may be coupled, such asdirectly coupled, to the motor 148. For example, as illustrated in FIG.17 , the motor 148 may include a drive shaft 186 and the roller ring 180may be directly coupled to the drive shaft 186. The turntable 130 may bemounted on the roller ring by a poka-yoke connection, such as pluralityof registration recesses 222 and a plurality of registration pins 184corresponding to the plurality of registration recesses 222. Forexample, four registration recesses 222 may be provided, with two of thefour registration recesses 222 defining a front position and having adistinct size and/or shape from that of the other two registrationrecesses 222, which define a rear position. In such embodiments, fourregistration pins 184 may be provided, e.g., two pairs of registrationpins 184 having corresponding size and shape with that of the two pairsof registration recesses 222. In some embodiments, the registrationrecesses 222 may be formed in the turntable 130, such as in the bottomsurface 216 thereof, and the registration pins 184 may be provided onthe roller ring 180, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 17 . In otherembodiments, the relative positions of the pins 184 and recesses 222 onthe turntable 130 and the roller ring 180 may be reversed.

In some embodiments, the cooking appliance 100 may include a rack 170,e.g., as illustrated in FIGS. 17 through 19 . The rack 160 may provide apedestal or support for the upper pan 131, or may provide one or moredistinct spatial locations for a plurality of food items directly on therack 170, e.g., the rack 170 may be a cooking rack. Further, the rack170 may also or instead be a meal cook fixture device. In someembodiments, the rack 170 may be mounted directly atop the turntable 130and the upper pan 131 may be mounted directly atop the rack 170. Forexample, the rack 170 may be mounted directly on the turntable 130 by aplurality of feet 172 at a bottom end of the rack 170, such as at abottom end of legs 174 of the rack 170. In such embodiments, theplurality of feet 172 may be engaged with a plurality of bosses 224 onthe turntable 130, e.g., the bosses 224 may extend from the top surface218 of the turntable 130. Additionally, each boss 224 of the pluralityof bosses 224 on the turntable 130 may correspond to and be engaged witha respective one of the plurality of feet 172 of the rack 170, e.g.,there may be a one-to-one correspondence between the bosses 224 on theturntable 130 and the feet 172 on the rack 170.

Also by way of example, the upper pan 131 may be mounted directly on therack 170 by a plurality of heads 176 at a top end of the rack 170, suchas at the top end of the legs 174 of the rack 170. The plurality ofheads 176 may be engaged with a plurality of apertures 234 in the upperpan 131. Each head 176 of the plurality of heads 176 on the rack 170 maycorrespond to and be engaged with a respective one of the plurality ofapertures 234 in the upper pan 131, e.g., there may be a one-to-onecorrespondence between the heads 176 on the rack 170 and the apertures234 in the upper pan 131.

In some embodiments, the rack 170 may comprise a metallic material. Theheads 176 and feet 172 of the rack 170 may comprise any suitablematerial which provides thermal insulation and electrical insulation,such as an elastomer material, e.g., a high-temperature siliconematerial. Such material may advantageously reduce or prevent microwavearcing and marring of the turntable 130 and/or upper pan 131. Asillustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19 , the rack 170 may also include aplurality of elongated members 178 extending generally perpendicular tothe legs 174, e.g., generally along the lateral direction L when therack 170 is mounted on the lower pan/turntable 130 and the turntable 130is in a home position. The elongated members 178 of the rack 170 mayalso or instead extend generally horizontally, e.g., generallyperpendicular to the vertical direction V and/or within alateral-transverse plane defined by the lateral direction L and thetransverse direction T.

In embodiments where the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 areprovided, a plurality of distinct spatial locations for food itemswithin the cooking cavity 128 may thereby be defined. Examples of theplurality of distinct spatial locations are identified as 202, 204, and206 in the accompanying figures, e.g. in FIGS. 4 and 5 . The pluralityof spatial locations may be distinct each from every other, e.g., thelocations may be spaced apart or separated from one another, such thatthe locations are spatially distinct and correspond to different regionsor areas within the cooking cavity 128. Further, as will be described inmore detail below, the distinct spatial locations may each be closer toor in direct communication with a different heat or energy source. Forexample, the turntable 130 may be closer to the lower heater module 134than the upper pan 131 and the turntable 130 may be in direct thermalcommunication with the lower heater module 134, whereby thermal energy,e.g., heat, from the lower heater module 134 travels to the turntable130 and any food items which may be thereon before reaching the upperpan 131 and any food items on the upper pan 131. As another example, theupper pan 131 may be closer to the upper heater module 132 than theturntable 130 and the turntable 130 may be in direct thermalcommunication with the upper heater module 132. Similarly, the upper pan131 may be closer to the microwave module 160, e.g., as in the exampleembodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 , and the upper pan 131 may be indirect communication with the microwave module 160, whereby microwaveenergy from the microwave module 160 travels to the upper pan 131 andany food items which may be thereon before reaching the turntable 130and any food items on the turntable 130. In addition to the verticallyseparated spatial locations in the foregoing examples, the plurality ofdistinct spatial locations may also be horizontally separated, e.g.,separated within a lateral-transverse plane defined by the lateraldirection L and the transverse direction T. As yet another example, afirst spatial location 202 of the plurality of distinct spatiallocations may be closer to the lamps 138 and 139 than a second spatiallocation 204 of the plurality of spatial locations when the turntable130 and upper pan 131 are in a home position (the home position willdescribed in more detail below), and the first and second locations 202and 204 may be defined on or by the upper pan 131, such that the firstand second locations 202 and 204 are each closer to the lamps 138 and139 than a third spatial location 206 defined on or by the turntable130. In some embodiments, one or both of the turntable 130 and the upperpan 131 may define more than one of the plurality of distinct spatiallocations. For example, in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4through 6 , the upper pan 131 includes a first distinct spatial location202 and a second distinct spatial location 204 while a third distinctspatial location 206 is defined on the turntable 130. The illustratedfirst and second locations 202 and 204 each occupy or correspond toabout one half of the upper pan 131, e.g., an arcuate extent of about180°. In other examples, one or both of the distinct spatial locationsmay include different arcuate extents, such as two distinct spatiallocations of less than 180° each with a separation between them, or onelocation greater than 180° with at least one other location less than180° and a total size of all distinct spatial locations approximatelyequal to the usable area of the pan 130 or 131, or three or moredistinct spatial locations in various combinations (such as three 120°locations, one 180° location with two 90° locations, three 100°locations with separations between each adjacent pair of locations,etc.), among other examples.

Such distinct spatial locations 202, 204, and 206 may be useful inpreparing an entire meal at once, e.g., in a meal cook cycle. Generally,an entire meal or complete meal includes multiple distinct food types,such as a meat, a vegetable, and/or a starch, in various combinations.Various examples of a complete meal are illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 8, each of which includes a plurality of food items positioned in apredetermined food arrangement. The predetermined food arrangement may,for example, be defined with respect to a home position of the pan(s)130 and/or 131. In particular, the example meal in FIG. 6 includes aplurality of food items comprising meat 1000, potatoes 1002, andvegetables 1004. The plurality of food items in the exemplary meal ofFIG. 6 are positioned in a predetermined arrangement where the potatoes1002 are positioned in the first location 202 of the plurality ofdistinct spatial locations, the meat 1000 is positioned in the secondlocation 204 of the plurality of distinct spatial locations, and thevegetables 1004 are positioned in the third location 206 of theplurality of distinct spatial locations. The meal illustrated in FIG. 6is generally recognized as a meal for two, and is provided forillustrative purposes only, the cooking appliance 100 disclosed hereinmay also be used for cooking meals of other sizes as well, e.g., for oneperson, three people, or four people, or more, in various combinations.

FIG. 7 illustrates another example meal, e.g., a meal for four, whichmay be prepared using a meal cook cycle according to one or moreadditional example embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 7 ,the plurality of food items includes meat 1000 and potatoes 1002 whichare positioned in a predetermined food arrangement such that thepotatoes 1002 are positioned in the first location 202 of the pluralityof distinct spatial locations and the meat 1000 is positioned in thesecond location 204 of the plurality of distinct spatial locations. Incontrast to the example of FIG. 6 , the first and second locations 202and 204 are of unequal size and shape in FIG. 7 . In some embodiments,for example as illustrated in FIG. 7 , the first location 202 may becampanulate, e.g., shaped like a bell, such that the first location 202may occupy a generally trapezoidal area within one of the pans 130 or131, and the second location 204 may be arcuate or C-shaped, e.g., mayextend partially around a circumference of one of the pans 130 or 131,e.g., generally parallel to the circumference of the pan 130 or 131.

FIG. 8 illustrates another example meal, e.g., which is generallyrecognized as a breakfast meal, which may be prepared using a meal cookcycle according to one or more additional example embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The plurality of food items which makes up theexample meal illustrated in FIG. 8 includes biscuits 1006 in the firstlocation 202, eggs 1008 in the second location 204, and bacon 1010 inthe third location 206. In some embodiments, the first location 202 maybe cruciform, such as a symmetrical cruciform, such that the firstlocation 202 may occupy a generally X-shaped area (or plus sign shaped,depending on the angle of rotation) within one of the pans 130 or 131,and the second location 204 may correspond to a series of locationsspaced apart along the circumference of the pan 130 or 131 and arrangedor positioned between the arms of the cruciform first location 202.Additionally, the third location 206 may, in some embodiments,correspond to or occupy substantially all of one of the pans 130 or 131,such as the bottom pan (turntable) 130 as in the example embodimentillustrated in FIG. 8 .

As mentioned, the plurality of food items includes food items ofdifferent food types. Such distinct food types also have distinctoptimal cooking conditions. For example, meats 1000 may require highertemperatures and relatively short cooking times as compared to potatoes1002, whereas vegetables 1004 may require lower heat than the meats 1000and less time than the potatoes 1002.

Each of the distinct spatial locations 202, 204, and 206 may lie withina different region or area within the cooking cavity 128. Thus, eachlocation 202, 204, and 206 may be proximate one heating module anddistant from another heating module. For example, referring theconfiguration of cooking appliance 100 illustrated in FIG. 3 , where themicrowave module 160 and the cooking lamps 138 and 139 are positionedabove the cooking cavity 128, positioning the upper pan 131 above theturntable 130 means that first and second locations 202 and 204 willreceive a larger proportion of the energy from the microwave module 160and the cooking lamps 138 and 139 than will the third location 206defined on the turntable 130. Additionally, the third location 206 onthe turntable 130 will receive a larger proportion of the energy fromthe lower heater module 134 than will the first and second locations 202and 204 on the upper pan 131. Further, depending on the angular positionof the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131, one of the first location202 and the second location 204 may be closer to the microwave module160 while the other of the first location 202 and the second location204 may be closer to the cooking lamps 138 and 139. When the angularposition of the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 changes during themeal cook cycle, e.g., while the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 arerotating, the microwave module 160 and the cooking lamps 138 and 139 maybe selectively activated/deactivated and/or adjusted corresponding tothe rotation of the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131.

Thus, in various embodiments, a plurality of food items whichcollectively make up a meal may be positioned in a predetermined foodarrangement on the pan(s) 130 and/or 131 such that a first food item ofthe plurality of food items is positioned in a first distinct spatiallocation of the plurality of distinct spatial locations proximate one ofthe modules and a second food item of the plurality of food items ispositioned in a second distinct spatial location of the plurality ofdistinct spatial locations proximate another of the modules, etc.

In order to simultaneously cook the distinct food types in a singlecycle of a single appliance, the cooking appliance 100 may be configuredto provide differing amounts of energy to the different locations, e.g.,differing amounts of energy may be provided to each of the firstlocation 202, the second location 204, and the third location 206 duringthe meal cook cycle. The differing amounts of energy may includemicrowave energy from the microwave module 160 and/or thermal energyfrom one or more of the upper heater module 132, the lower heater module134, and the convection module 140. Thus, embodiments of the presentdisclosure include a cooking appliance 100 configured to perform themeal cook cycle as well as methods of operating a cooking appliance,such as the cooking appliance 100, in a meal cook cycle. In variousembodiments, the motion of the turntable 130 and upper pan 131 and thesequencing of the heating modules (e.g., including some or all of themicrowave module 160, the convection module 140, the upper heatingmodule 132 and the lower heating module 134, in various combinations)allows different amounts of energy, e.g., thermal and/or microwaveenergy, to be applied to each location 202, 204, and 206 during the mealcook cycle.

For example, in at least some embodiments, the meal cook cycle mayinclude rotating the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 within thecooking cavity 128 while selectively activating and/or adjusting atleast one of the microwave module 160, the upper heater module 132, thelower heater module 134, and the convection module 140. In variousembodiments, rotation of the turntable 130 and upper pan 131 may includeone or more of: rotating at varying rotational speeds, moving theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 to an exact angular position,dwelling, and oscillating back and forth. The foregoing variousembodiments and combinations thereof with respect to the rotation of theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 may be provided separately or incombination with several various embodiments of activating and/oradjusting one or more (up to and including all) of the heating modules.

For example, the convection module 140 may be deactivated during aportion of the meal cook cycle, may be activated at a first heat setting(e.g., about 350° F.) during another portion of the meal cook cycle, andmay be activated at a second heat setting different from the first heatsetting (e.g., about 300° F. or about 450° F., etc.) during yet anotherportion of the meal cook cycle. In some embodiments, only the fan 144 ofthe convection module 140 may be activated without activating theheating element 142 during all or part of the meal cook cycle. In someembodiments, the lower heater module 134 may be activated anddeactivated (e.g., turned on and off) and/or adjusted (e.g., within arange greater than zero) during the meal cook cycle. In some embodimentswhere the upper heater element 132 includes first and second cookinglamps 138 and 139, the meal cook cycle may include activating the firstcooking lamp 138 while the second cooking lamp 139 is deactivated duringa first portion of the meal cook cycle and activating both the firstcooking lamp 138 and the second cooking lamp 139 during a second portionof the meal cook cycle. Embodiments of the meal cook cycle may includeany or all of the foregoing examples in various combinations, e.g., insome embodiments the cooking lamps 138 and 139 may be alternatinglyactivated while the temperature output level of the convection module140 is also adjusted during the meal cook cycle.

In some embodiments, the meal cook cycle may include activating themicrowave module 160 at varying power levels during the meal cook cycleto provide differing amounts of energy to each of the first location202, the second location 204, and the third location 206 throughout themeal cook cycle.

In some embodiments, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 9 , the microwavemodule 160 may include a magnetron 162 and a power supply 164. The powersupply 164 may comprise a transformer power supply in some embodiments.In alternative embodiments, the power supply 164 may comprise aninverter power supply. In embodiments where the power supply 164 is atransformer power supply, activating the microwave module 160 at varyingpower levels during the meal cook cycle may be achieved by varying aduty cycle of the magnetron 162, e.g., by turning the magnetron 162 onand off at varying points throughout the meal cook cycle. The duty cyclemay be defined by, e.g., the time it takes for the turntable 130 and theupper pan 131 to make a complete rotation (e.g., to rotate through anangle of 360°). For example, a ten percent (10%) duty cycle may compriseturning the magnetron 162 on through 10% of each revolution of theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131, e.g., through about 36° of rotationof the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131. The sequence of activatingand deactivating the magnetron 162 may be staggered such that differentsegments of the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 are most proximate(relative to the remainder of the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131)to the microwave module 160 each time the magnetron 162 is turned on,e.g., in embodiments such as those illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 , wherethe microwave module 160 is not centered with the cooking cavity 128.

As mentioned above, in alternative embodiments, the power supply 164 maycomprise an inverter power supply. In embodiments where the power supply164 is an inverter power supply, activating the microwave module 160 atvarying power levels during the meal cook cycle may be achieved byvarying an output power level of the magnetron 160 using the inverterpower supply 164. In at least some embodiments, the output power levelof the magnetron 162 may be varied using the inverter power supply 164within a range of between about ten percent (10%) power and aboutninety-five percent (95%) power. As mentioned above, terms ofapproximation used herein include a ten percent margin of error, e.g.,in the context of the foregoing output power levels, a ten percentagepoint margin of error, such that about 10% power includes values greaterthan zero (and does not include zero power) up to twenty percent (20%),while about 95% includes values from eighty-five percent (85%) up to onehundred percent (100%).

In other embodiments, the microwave module 160 may include a solid stateradio frequency (RF) microwave unit. Such embodiments of the microwavemodule 160 may be particularly useful when configured as in the exampleillustrated by FIG. 10 , where multiple microwave modules 160 areprovided at discrete locations within the cooking appliance 100. Withthis configuration, the output of each solid state RF microwave unit 160may be varied throughout the meal cook cycle to selectively target eachlocation 202, 204, and 206 of the plurality of distinct spatiallocations with the optimal or preferred amount of microwave energy,including varying the output power of each microwave unit or module 160correspondingly (e.g., synchronized) with the rotation of the turntable130 and the upper pan 131. For example, in various embodiments where themicrowave module 160 comprises the solid state RF microwave unit 160,activating the microwave module 160 at varying power levels during themeal cook cycle may be accomplished by varying an output power level ofthe solid state radio frequency microwave unit between a first outputpower level greater than zero and a second output power level greaterthan the first output power level during the meal cook cycle.

In some embodiments, the meal cook cycle may include rotating theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 at a constant rotational speedduring the meal cook cycle. In other embodiments, the meal cook cyclemay include rotating the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 at a firstspeed during a first portion of the meal cook cycle and rotating theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 at a second speed different from thefirst speed during a second portion of the meal cook cycle. For example,meat 1000 may be placed in the second location 204 and potatoes 1002 maybe placed in the first location 202, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 6 . Inthis example, it may be preferable to expose the potatoes 1002 to arelatively higher level of microwave energy to promote rapid cookingthereof, while it may also be preferable to minimize exposure of themeat 1000 to microwave energy to preserve or optimize texture and/orflavor of the meat 1000. Thus, for example, the speed of rotation of theupper pan 131 may be increased when the second location 204 is proximatethe microwave module 160 and decreased when the first location 202 isproximate the microwave module 160, thereby providing more exposure tomicrowave energy for the potatoes 1002 in the first location 202 andless exposure for the meat 1000 in the second location 204. As anotherexample, it may be preferable to maximize exposure of the meat 1000 tothe cooking lamps 138 and 139, for example to brown the meat 1000. Thus,in some embodiments, the speed of rotation of the upper pan 131 may beincreased when the first location 202 is proximate the cooking lamps 138and 139 of the upper heating module 132 and decreased when the secondlocation 204 is proximate the cooking lamps 138 and 139, therebyproviding more exposure to energy from the cooking lamps 138 and 139 forthe meat 1000 in the second location 204 and less exposure for thepotatoes 1002 in the first location 202.

In some embodiments, the meal cook cycle may include rotating theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 in a first direction 10, e.g., asindicated by arrows 10 in FIGS. 9 and 10 , such as only rotating theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 in the first direction 10. In otherembodiments, the meal cook cycle may also include alternately rotatingthe turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 in the first direction 10 and asecond direction 12, e.g., as indicated by arrows 10 and 12 in FIG. 11 ,where the first and second direction 10 and 12 are coplanar (e.g.,defined within the same plane) and are opposite. For example, the firstdirection 10 may be counterclockwise as illustrated in FIG. 11 and thesecond direction 12 may be clockwise also as illustrated in FIG. 11 .Some such embodiments may include full rotation of the turntable 130 andthe upper pan 131, e.g., rotating the turntable 130 and the upper pan131 at least 360° in the first direction 10 before rotating theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 in the second direction 12, alsothrough at least 360° of rotation. Other embodiments including both thefirst direction 10 and the second direction 12 may include rotating theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 less than 360° in each direction 10and 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , the turntable 130 and theupper pan 131 may be rotated through an angle Θ, where Θ is less than360°. The turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 may be rotated the sameamount in each direction 10 and 12 or different amounts in eachdirection. For example, the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 may berotated through an arc encompassing about 180° in the first direction 10and through an arc encompassing about 270° in the second direction 12.Additional embodiments including both the first direction 10 and thesecond direction 12 may include rotating the turntable 130 and the upperpan 131 the same amount in each direction, e.g., rotating through thesame angular distance in each direction. Such embodiments may includeoscillating the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131. In variousembodiments, the meal cook cycle may include rotating the turntable 130and the upper pan 131 back and forth within an arc encompassing an angleΘ of about 270° or less, such as about 180°, such as about 90°, such asabout 45° or less. Referring again to the example meal illustrated inFIG. 6 , meat 1000 in the second location 204 may preferably receive ahigher level of energy from the cooking lamps 138 and 139 than thepotatoes 1002. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 11 , the angle Θ may beselected such that throughout the range of motion of the turntable 130and the upper pan 131, a greater proportion of the area immediatelyproximate the cooking lamps 138 and 139 is occupied by the secondlocation 204 than the first location 202. Note that FIG. 11 is a viewlooking down from within the housing 102 at the upper pan 131 such thatthe projected locations of the cooking lamps 138 and 139 relative to theupper pan 131 are shown in dashed lines in FIG. 11 (e.g., the cookinglamps 138 and 139 are positioned above the view plane in FIG. 11 ).Additionally, it should be noted that the angle Θ may define at leastone location of the plurality of distinct spatial locations, e.g., asillustrated in FIG. 11 , the second location 204 corresponds to aportion of the pan 131 that subtends the angle Θ and the first location202 corresponds to a portion of the pan 131 which subtends an anglethat, in combination with the angle Θ, completes the circumference ofthe pan 131.

The operation of the cooking lamps 138 and 139 may be varied throughoutthe meal cook cycle to selectively target each location 202, 204, and206 with the optimal or preferred amount of cooking energy, includingactivating and/or deactivating each lamp 138 and 139 correspondingly(e.g., synchronized) with the rotation of the turntable 130 and theupper pan 131. In particular embodiments where the cooking lamps 138 and139 are positioned above the cooking cavity 128, the cycling of thecooking lamps 138 and 139 may be synchronized with the rotation of theupper pan 131 which is closer to the top of the cooking cavity 128 thanthe turntable 130 to selectively direct energy from the cooking lamps138 and 129 to the locations defined on the upper pan 131, e.g., thefirst and second locations 202 and 204.

As mentioned above, one or more heating modules of the cooking appliance100 may be adjusted during the meal cook cycle, and such adjustments maybe synchronized with the rotation of the turntable 130 and the upper pan131. One example of such operation is illustrated in FIGS. 12 through 16. As shown, e.g., in FIG. 10 , the cooking appliance 100 may includemultiple microwave modules 160. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 12through 16 , the multiple microwave modules 160 may include a firstmicrowave module 161 on a first side of the cooking appliance 100 and asecond microwave module 163 on a second side of the cooking appliance100 opposite the first side. In some exemplary meal cook cycles, it maybe desirable to provide more microwave energy to the first location 202than to the second location 204. Thus, as shown in FIG. 12 , when, in afirst angular position, the first location 202 is directly proximate thefirst microwave module 161 the first microwave module 161 may beactivated at a first power level, e.g., full power, while the secondmicrowave module 163 may be deactivated. The first location 202 may bedirectly proximate the first microwave module 161 when the center of thefirst location 202 and the microwave module 161 are aligned, e.g., alonga line also passing through a geometric center of the upper pan 131and/or of the cooking cavity 128. As shown in FIG. 13 , when theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 have rotated along the firstdirection 10 to a second angular position where the first location 202is not aligned with or centered proximate the first microwave module161, e.g., the center point of the first location 202 no longer falls onthe line between the first microwave module 161 and the geometric centerof the upper pan 131/cooking cavity 128. Operation of the microwavemodules 161 and 163 may be synchronized with the rotation of theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 such that the first microwave module161 may be activated at a second power level, e.g., less than the firstpower level, when the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 are in thesecond angular position, while the second microwave module 163 mayremain deactivated. FIG. 14 illustrates the cooking appliance 100 in athird angular position, e.g., the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 inthe third angular position. In the third angular position, the firstlocation 202 and the second location 204 are both equally spacedrelative to each of the first microwave module 161 and the secondmicrowave module 163. As such, the first microwave module 161 and thesecond microwave module 163 may be operated at the same power level aseach other when the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 are in the thirdangular position. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 14 , the firstmicrowave module 161 and the second microwave module 163 may be operatedat a third power level which is greater than zero and less than thesecond power level when the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 are inthe third angular position. In FIG. 15 , the turntable 130 and the upperpan 131 have continued to rotate along the first direction 10 to afourth angular position. In the fourth angular position, the firstlocation 202, such as a center point thereof, is closer to the secondmicrowave module 163 than to the first microwave module 161, but is notyet centered and aligned with the second microwave module 163. Thus, thesecond microwave module 163 may be operated at the second power levelwhen the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 are in the fourth angularposition. Also as may be seen in FIG. 15 , the second location 204 iscloser to the first microwave module 161 than to the second microwavemodule 163 in the fourth angular position, such that the first microwavemodule 161 may be deactivated when the turntable 130 and the upper pan131 are in the fourth angular position. A fifth angular position of theturntable 130 and the upper pan 131 is illustrated in FIG. 16 which is180° away from the first angular position of FIG. 12 . In the fifthangular position of FIG. 16 , the first location 202 is now centered andaligned with the second microwave module 163, e.g., the center of thefirst location 202 and the second microwave module 163 may be alignedwith each other along a line also passing through the center of theupper pan 131 and/or cooking cavity 128, while the second location 204is centered and aligned with the first microwave module 161.Accordingly, when the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131 are in thefifth angular position, the second microwave module 163 may be operatedat the first power level greater than the second power level while thefirst microwave module 161 may be deactivated to reduce or minimize theexposure of the second location 204 to microwave energy.

As mentioned above, the turntable 130 may be rotatably mounted in thecooking cavity 128, and in at least some embodiments, the upper pan 131may be mounted on the turntable 130 and rotatable with the turntable130, e.g., simultaneously with the turntable 130. For example, theturntable 130 may be rotatable through a plurality of positions, such asone or more predetermined positions. In some embodiments, e.g., asillustrated in FIG. 20 , the turntable 130 may be rounded or generallycircular, whereby a circumferential direction C may be defined by acircumference of the turntable 130. As illustrated in FIG. 20 , theturntable 130 may include a front 210 and a back 212 diametricallyopposite the front 210. For example, the front 210 may be proximate thedoor 108 and centered within the cooking cavity 128 along the lateraldirection L when the turntable 130 is in a home position. The turntable130 may also include one or more gutters 220 extending along or parallelto (e.g., concentric with) the circumferential direction C, a pair ofhandles 208 disposed between the front 210 and the back 212 along thecircumferential direction C, and a spout 214 disposed at or around theback 212. In some embodiments, the plurality of positions of theturntable 130 may include a plurality of predetermined positions whichequally spaced apart along the circumferential direction C. For example,the plurality of positions of the turntable 130 may include fourpredetermined positions each spaced apart from adjacent positions of theplurality of positions by ninety degrees. As another example, theplurality of positions of the turntable 130 may include eightpredetermined positions each spaced apart from adjacent positions of theplurality of positions by forty five degrees.

In various embodiments, the rotation of the turntable 130 may becontrolled by software, and may be controlled based on an operating modeof the cooking appliance 100, meal cook sequences, and/or user input.For example, in some embodiments, the turntable 130 may be configured torotate to a home position when the door 108 is opened, e.g., asmentioned above, where the front 210 of the turntable 130 is proximatethe door 108. Additionally, the turntable 130 may be rotatable to a userselected one of the plurality of predefined positions in response to auser input, e.g., via the control panel 118, such as buttons 124thereon.

In some embodiments, the turntable 130 may rotate through the pluralityof positions in a sequential order during at least a portion of the mealcook cycle, e.g., with a constant rotational speed and/or directionthrough at least the portion of the meal cook cycle. Additionally, in atleast some embodiments, the turntable 130 may also be rotated, such asby the motor, to a predetermined one of the plurality of positions at apredetermined time. The predetermined time may correspond to a certainpoint in the meal cook cycle. For example, in some embodiments, thepredetermined time may correspond to an end of the meal cook cycle. Insome embodiments, the meal cook cycle may include a plurality of stages,and the predetermined time may correspond to one of the plurality ofstages, such as the beginning of a stage, the end of the stage, or anintermediate point during the stage, etc.

The turntable 130 may rotate to the predetermined positions by changingthe speed and/or direction of rotation. For example, in someembodiments, rotating the turntable 130 through the plurality ofpositions in the sequential order during at least the portion of themeal cook cycle may include rotating the turntable at a first speed, androtating the turntable to the predetermined one of the plurality ofpositions at the predetermined time may include rotating the turntableat a second speed different from the first speed. As another example,rotating the turntable 130 to the predetermined one of the plurality ofpositions at the predetermined time may include rotating the turntable130 through at least one of the plurality of positions out of thesequential order.

In various embodiments, the turntable 130 and/or upper pan 131 define atleast two distinct spatial locations, e.g., the first, second, and thirdlocations 202, 204, and 206 described above. In some embodiments, theturntable 130 may include or define the first location 202 and thesecond location 204. In such embodiments, the plurality of predeterminedpositions may include the home position, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 21, wherein the first location 202 is proximate the door 108 and a backposition, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 22 , wherein the second location204 is proximate the door 108, and the back position may be separatedfrom the home position by about 180°. The home position and the backposition may also be included in embodiments where the first and secondlocations 202 and 204 are defined on the upper pan 131, thus, thediscussion therein of first and second locations 202 and 204 on theturntable 130 may also be applied to first and second locations 202 and204 on the upper pan 131. The back position may be opposite, e.g.,diametrically opposite or 180° apart from, the home position. In suchembodiments, rotating the turntable 130 to the predetermined one of theplurality of positions at the predetermined time may include rotatingthe turntable 130 to the home position or the back position. Forexample, in some embodiments, a first food item, e.g., meat 1000, may bepositioned in the first location 202 and a second food item differentfrom the first food item, e.g., potatoes 1002, may be positioned in thesecond location 204. Thus, rotating the turntable 130 to the homeposition may include placing the first food item, e.g., meat 1000,proximate to the door 108 to promote access thereto, and rotating theturntable 130 to the back position may include placing the second fooditem, e.g., potatoes 1002, proximate to the door 108 to promote accessthereto. Such positioning facilitates user interaction with a desiredfood item, such as flipping a piece of meat 1000 or checking doneness ofa potato 1002, etc. In some embodiments, the cooking appliance 100,e.g., the controller thereof, may be configured to display, e.g., on thedisplay 120, instructions for a user interaction with a food item in thefirst location 202 after rotating the turntable 130 to the predeterminedhome position and/or instructions for a user interaction with a fooditem in the second location 204 after rotating the turntable 130 to thepredetermined back position.

As mentioned above, one or more heating modules of the cooking appliance100 may be adjusted during the meal cook cycle, and such adjustments maybe synchronized with the rotation of the turntable 130 and the upper pan131. Another example of such operation is illustrated in FIGS. 23through 26 . In particular, in the example operation illustrated inFIGS. 23 through 26 , operation of the cooking lamps 138 and 139 may bevaried throughout the meal cook cycle to selectively target eachlocation 202 and 204 with the optimal or preferred amount of cookingenergy, including activating and/or deactivating each lamp 138 and 139correspondingly (e.g., synchronized) with the rotation of the turntable130 and/or the upper pan 131. Only two locations 202 and 204 in a singlepan are illustrated in FIGS. 23 through 26 solely for the purposes ofsimplicity and clarity in the particular example embodiment illustrated,however, such example is not intended to limit the present disclosure toany particular number or configuration of pans and/or locations.

As generally shown throughout FIGS. 23 through 26 , the meal cook cyclemay include activating the first lamp 138 over a first portion or arc240 of the rotation of the pan 130 or 131 and activating the second lamp139 over a second portion or arc 246 of the rotation of the pan 130 or131. In the particular example illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 30 , themajority of the energy from the cooking lamps 138 and 139 is directed tothe first location 202. Accordingly, each lamp 138 and 139 isdeactivated (e.g., is not on or is turned off) when the second location204 is more proximate to the lamp 138 or 139 than the first location202.

As shown in FIG. 23 , the meal cook cycle may include activating thefirst cooking lamp 138 when the turntable or pan 130 or 131 is in afirst angular position, which, in the illustrated example embodiment,corresponds to the front 210 of the pan 130 or 131 being aligned with afirst end 242 of the first arc 240. As shown in FIG. 24 , the meal cookcycle may include activating the second cooking lamp 139 (while thefirst cooking lamp 138 also remains activated) when the turntable or pan130 or 131 is in a second angular position, which, in the illustratedexample embodiment, corresponds to the front 210 of the pan 130 or 131being aligned with a first end 248 of the second arc 246. As shown inFIG. 25 , the meal cook cycle may include deactivating the secondcooking lamp 139 (while the first cooking lamp 138 remains activated)when the turntable or pan 130 or 131 is in a third angular position,which, in the illustrated example embodiment, corresponds to the front210 of the pan 130 or 131 being aligned with a second end 250 of thesecond arc 246. As shown in FIG. 26 , the meal cook cycle may includedeactivating the first cooking lamp 138 (while the second cooking lamp139 remains deactivated) when the turntable or pan 130 or 131 is in afourth angular position, which, in the illustrated example embodiment,corresponds to the front 210 of the pan 130 or 131 being aligned with asecond end 244 of the first arc 246.

As discussed above, e.g., with reference to FIG. 11 , the turntable 130(and, in at least some embodiments, the upper pan 131 mountedthereabove) may be rotatable back and forth, e.g., oscillated, within anangle Θ. FIGS. 27 and 28 illustrate an example embodiment where theoscillation is symmetrical, e.g., the turntable 130 rotates the sameamount in each direction, and the oscillation is through an angle Θsubtended by the arc 246. Thus, in some embodiments, the turntable mayrotate in the second direction 12 (e.g., FIG. 11 ) from a firstposition, where the front 210 is aligned with a first end 248 of the arc246 (FIG. 27 ), to a second position, where the front 210 is alignedwith a second end 250 of the arc 246 (FIG. 28 ). In such embodiments,the turntable 130 may then rotate in the first direction 10 (FIG. 11 )from the second position shown in FIG. 28 to the first position shown inFIG. 27 . FIGS. 29 and 30 illustrate another example embodiment, similarto that described above with respect to the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 27 and 28 , where the oscillation is through an angle Θ subtendedby the arc 240.

FIG. 31 provides a diagrammatic illustration of exemplary control and/orsensing components of the cooking appliance 100 according to one or moreexample embodiments. In embodiments of the present disclosure, thecooking appliance 100 may include one or more (up to and including all)of the illustrated components in FIG. 31 in various combinations. Forexample, the controller 150 may include an input/output (I/O) motorcontroller 152, which may be integrated with or provided onboard thecontroller 150. The I/O motor controller 152 may be operable to set oradjust parameters of the motor 148, such as rotational speed and/ordirection, as well as moving the motor 148 to a specific position, e.g.,to cause the motor 148 to rotate the turntable 130 (and in at least someembodiments, the upper pan 131 as well) to a predetermined positionssuch as the home position or back position as described above.

As mentioned above, meal cook cycles and other cooking algorithms can bestored (e.g., preprogrammed during production of the cooking applianceand/or downloaded from a remote database) in a memory device of acontroller 150. For example, such algorithms and cycles may be includedin or with oven control and meal cook software 154 in the memory of thecontroller 150. Additionally, oven cook sequences and parameters 156 maybe preprogrammed in or loaded onto the memory of the controller 150, andsuch sequences and parameters may be called upon during one or moreexemplary cooking operations, such as meal cook cycles as describedherein.

The controller 150 may also be in communication with and receive signalsfrom multiple inputs, such as a key panel and/or touch screen, which maybe embodiments of the control panel 118 and/or may be components of thecontrol panel 118 in various embodiments. Additionally, the controller150 may be in communication with one or more sensors, such as a dooropen sensor 190 which may, for example, send a signal to the controller150 when the door 108 of the cooking appliance 100 is open, and a homeposition sensor 192 which may, for example, send a signal to thecontroller 150 when the turntable 130 is in the home position. Thus, forexample, in some embodiments, the controller 150 may be configured todetermine that the door 108 is open, such as based on a signal from thedoor open sensor 190, and, in response to the door 108 being opened, tomove, e.g., rotate, the turntable 130 to the home position. For example,the controller 150 may so move the turntable 130 when the door openingis detected and the turntable 130 is not in the home position.

The controller 150 may also be in communication with and send signals tomultiple outputs, such as the motor 148 and, in some embodiments, adrive mechanism 194 to control or adjust the position of the turntable130, as well as user interface elements. Such user interface elementsmay be or include a beeper 196 and display 120. In some embodiments, thecooking appliance 100, such as the controller 150 thereof, may beprogrammed or configured to provide user notifications and/orinstructions via the user interface elements such as the beeper 196 andthe display 120. For example, in various embodiments, instructions maybe provided on the display 120 which correspond to the position of theturntable 130, e.g., when multiple food items are located in variousdistinct spatial locations throughout the cooking appliance 100, theinstructions provided may correspond to relate to the food item(s) inthe location which is most proximate to the door 108. One possibleexample, referring back to FIG. 21 , may include providing instructionsto flip the meat 1000 when the meat is in the first location 202 and theturntable 130 is in the home position.

FIG. 32 provides a flow diagram of an example method 300 of operating acooking appliance according to an example embodiment of the presentsubject matter. For instance, cooking appliance 100 described herein canbe utilized to implement method 300. Accordingly, to provide context tomethod 300, the numerals used above to denote various features ofcooking appliance 100 will be utilized below. The example method 300described below provides one example manner in which a cooking appliancecan be operated, however, the description below is not intended to belimiting.

At step 302, the method 300 includes receiving, by a controller of thecooking appliance, an input indicating that the cooking appliance is tooperate in a meal cook cycle. For instance, the cooking appliance can bethe cooking appliance 100 provided herein and the controller can becontroller 150. After receiving the input at 302, the method 300 mayfurther include a step 304 of activating a motor to rotate a turntable,e.g., turntable 130, and an upper pan, e.g., upper pan 131, within acooking cavity, e.g., cooking cavity 128, defined in a casing, e.g.,casing 102 of the cooking appliance, e.g., cooking appliance 100, duringthe meal cook cycle.

At step 306, the method 300 includes activating at least one heatingmodule of cooking appliance 100 while the turntable 130 and the upperpan 131 are rotating. For example, the at least one heating module maybe at least one of a microwave module 160, an upper heater module 132, alower heater module 134, and a convection module 140. The microwavemodule 160 may be configured for delivering microwave energy into thecooking cavity 128. The upper heater module 132 may have one or moreheating elements, e.g., cooking lamps 138 and 139. The lower heatermodule 134 may have one or more heating elements. The convection module140 may have one or more heating elements 142 and a convection fan 144operable to move air across the one or more heating elements 142 of theconvection module 140 and into the cooking cavity.

The method 300 may have a result or effect, e.g., as illustrated at 308in FIG. 32 , of providing differing amounts of energy to each of a firstlocation 202, a second location 204, and a third location 206 which areeach spatially separated from every other location and are collectivelydefined by the turntable 130 and the upper pan 131.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elementsthat do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal languages of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking appliance, comprising: a casingdefining a cooking cavity; a microwave module for delivering microwaveenergy into the cooking cavity; an upper heater module having one ormore heating elements; a lower heater module having one or more heatingelements; a convection module having one or more heating elements and aconvection fan operable to move air across the one or more heatingelements of the convection module and into the cooking cavity; aturntable rotatably mounted in the cooking cavity; an upper pan mountedabove the turntable wherein the turntable and the upper pan areconfigured for positioning a plurality of food items thereon in apredetermined food arrangement, the plurality of food items comprising ameal, the meal comprising a first food item of a first food type and asecond food item of a second food type; a motor operatively coupled tothe turntable to rotate the turntable and the upper pan within thecooking cavity; and a controller communicatively coupled with themicrowave module, the upper heater module, the lower heater module, theconvection module, and the motor for selective control thereof, thecontroller configured to: receive an input indicating that the cookingappliance is to operate in a meal cook cycle; activate the motor torotate the turntable and the upper pan within the cooking cavity; andactivate at least one of the microwave module, the upper heater module,the lower heater module, and the convection module of the cookingappliance while the turntable and the upper pan are rotating within thecooking cavity; wherein the predetermined food arrangement places thefirst food item proximate the upper heater module during a first portionof the meal cook cycle and the second food item proximate the upperheater module during a second portion of the meal cook cycle, wherebydiffering amounts of energy are provided to each food item of theplurality of food items based on a spatial location of each food item inthe predetermined food arrangement on the turntable and the upper panduring the meal cook cycle.
 2. The cooking appliance of claim 1, whereinthe food arrangement comprises an asymmetrical pattern of the pluralityof food items.
 3. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein activatingat least one of the microwave module, the upper heater module, the lowerheater module, and the convection module comprises activating themicrowave module at varying power levels during the meal cook cycle toprovide differing amounts of energy to each food item of the pluralityof food items based on the spatial location of each food item in thepredetermined food arrangement on the turntable and the upper pan duringthe meal cook cycle.
 4. The cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein themicrowave module comprises a magnetron and a transformer power supply,and wherein activating the microwave module at varying power levelsduring the meal cook cycle comprises varying a duty cycle of themagnetron.
 5. The cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the microwavemodule comprises a magnetron and an inverter power supply, and whereinactivating the microwave module at varying power levels during the mealcook cycle comprises varying an output power level of the magnetronwithin a range of between about 10% and about 95%.
 6. The cookingappliance of claim 3, wherein the microwave module comprises a solidstate radio frequency microwave unit, and wherein activating themicrowave module at varying power levels during the meal cook cyclecomprises varying an output power level of the solid state radiofrequency microwave unit between a first output power level greater thanzero and a second output power level greater than the first output powerlevel during the meal cook cycle.
 7. The cooking appliance of claim 1,wherein the one or more heating elements of the upper heater modulescomprises a first cooking lamp and a second cooking lamp, whereinactivating at least one of the microwave module, the upper heatermodule, the lower heater module, and the convection module comprisesactivating the first cooking lamp while the second cooking lamp isdeactivated during the first portion of the meal cook cycle andactivating both the first cooking lamp and the second cooking lampduring the second portion of the meal cook cycle to provide differingamounts of energy to the first food item and the second food item basedon the spatial location of each food item in the predetermined foodarrangement on the turntable and the upper pan during the meal cookcycle.
 8. The cooking appliance of claim 7, wherein activating the motorto rotate the turntable and the upper pan comprises rotating theturntable and the upper pan at a constant rotational speed during themeal cook cycle.
 9. The cooking appliance of claim 7, wherein activatingthe motor to rotate the turntable and the upper pan comprises rotatingthe turntable and the upper pan at a first speed during the firstportion of the meal cook cycle and rotating the turntable and the upperpan at a second speed different from the first speed during the secondportion of the meal cook cycle.
 10. The cooking appliance of claim 1,wherein activating the motor to rotate the turntable and the upper pancomprises rotating the turntable and the upper pan at a first rotationalspeed during the first portion of the meal cook cycle and rotating theturntable and the upper pan at a second rotational speed different fromthe first rotational speed during the second portion of the meal cookcycle.
 11. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein activating themotor to rotate the turntable and the upper pan comprises rotating theturntable and the upper pan in a first direction during the firstportion of the meal cook cycle and rotating the turntable and the upperpan in a second direction opposite the first direction during the secondportion of the meal cook cycle.
 12. The cooking appliance of claim 1,wherein activating the motor to rotate the turntable and the upper pancomprises rotating the turntable and the upper pan back and forth withinan arc of about 270° or less.
 13. The cooking appliance of claim 1,wherein the predetermined food arrangement is defined with respect to ahome position of the turntable and the upper pan.
 14. A method ofoperating a cooking appliance in a meal cook cycle, the methodcomprising: receiving, by a controller of the cooking appliance, aninput indicating that the cooking appliance is to operate in a meal cookcycle; providing instructions, via a user interface, for positioning aplurality of food items in a predetermined food arrangement on aturntable and an upper pan of the cooking appliance, the plurality offood items comprising a meal, the meal comprising a first food item of afirst food type and a second food item of a second food type; activatinga motor to rotate the turntable and the upper pan within a cookingcavity defined in a casing of the cooking appliance; activating at leastone of a microwave module for delivering microwave energy into thecooking cavity, an upper heater module having one or more heatingelements, a lower heater module having one or more heating elements, anda convection module having one or more heating elements and a convectionfan operable to move air across the one or more heating elements of theconvection module and into the cooking cavity while the turntable andthe upper pan are rotating within the cooking cavity; wherein activatingat least one of the microwave module, the upper heater module, the lowerheater module, and the convection module comprises activating the atleast one of the microwave module, the upper heater module, the lowerheater module, and the convection module at varying power levels duringthe meal cook cycle, whereby, during the meal cook cycle, a first amountof energy is provided to the first food item based on a spatial locationof the first food item in the predetermined food arrangement on theturntable and the upper pan, and a second amount of energy is providedto the second food item based on a spatial location of the second fooditem in the predetermined food arrangement on the turntable and theupper pan.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein activating at least oneof the microwave module, the upper heater module, the lower heatermodule, and the convection module comprises activating the microwavemodule at varying power levels during the meal cook cycle to providediffering amounts of energy to each food item of the plurality of fooditems.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more heatingelements of the upper heater modules comprises a first cooking lamp anda second cooking lamp, wherein activating at least one of the microwavemodule, the upper heater module, the lower heater module, and theconvection module comprises activating the first cooking lamp while thesecond cooking lamp is deactivated during a first portion of the mealcook cycle and activating both the first cooking lamp and the secondcooking lamp during a second portion of the meal cook cycle to providediffering amounts of energy to each food item of the plurality of fooditems during the meal cook cycle.
 17. The method of claim 14, whereinactivating the motor to rotate the turntable and the upper pan comprisesrotating the turntable and the upper pan at a first rotational speedduring a first portion of the meal cook cycle and rotating the turntableand the upper pan at a second rotational speed different from the firstrotational speed during a second portion of the meal cook cycle.
 18. Themethod of claim 14, wherein activating the motor to rotate the turntableand the upper pan comprises rotating the turntable and the upper pan ina first direction during a first portion of the meal cook cycle androtating the turntable and the upper pan in a second direction oppositethe first direction during a second portion of the meal cook cycle. 19.The method of claim 14, wherein activating the motor to rotate theturntable and the upper pan comprises rotating the turntable and theupper pan back and forth within an arc length of about 270° or less. 20.The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined food arrangement isdefined with respect to a home position of the turntable and the upperpan.